No Nene, but Wizards still move over .500 with a convincing 115-106 win over Magic

Washington Post | Feb 26

Their most talented big man and highest-paid player was back home, immobile because of a sprained left knee, and not expected back on the floor in a game for six weeks. But the Washington Wizards couldn’t mope without Nene, or allow their past failings in his absence to affect their staying relevant in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Even with Nene’s primary backup, Kevin Seraphin, out with a sore right knee, the Wizards easily won their first game since Nene sprained his left medial collateral ligament, defeating the lowly Orlando Magic, 115-106, at Verizon Center.

Before the game, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis wrote on his personal blog that the team’s goals “have not changed in any way,” though Nene could wind up missing the rest of the regular season.

John Wall said he wasn’t aware of Leonsis’s blog entry — “I don’t check it” — but he played as if he was heeding the owner’s words, scoring a game-high 27 points to go with seven assists. The Wizards left little doubt against a struggling Magic team that has lost 16 straight road games.

The Wizards (29-28) have won a season-high four consecutive games and have a winning record for the second time this season. They also matched their win total from last season.

“Oh, hell. Here we go again,” Wall said, when asked his reaction to Nene’s injury. “Another tough injury for our team. It’s something we dealing since I’ve been here; guys being injured. It’s tough when he’s a key part of your team. Everybody jumped on this thing, we can’t win without him. But it’s a good opportunity for us to step up and be bigger players.”

The Wizards improved to 2-6 without Nene, but Coach Randy Wittman had his nerves tested early in the second quarter when his depleted front line appeared to take another hit. Trevor Booker, who started in place of Nene, tweaked his left ankle, limped up and down the floor and later headed to the locker room.

“I was shaking my head. . . . you know how they say, ‘These things come in threes,’ because Kevin and Nene get hurt,” Wittman said, laughing to himself. “But he ended up being okay.”

Booker returned to finish with three points and seven rebounds. Marcin Gortat — the Wizards’ lone big man on the roster capable of playing center with Nene and Seraphin on the shelf — welcomed being more of a focal point in the offense and scored 21 points with a team-high 10 rebounds.

“It’s not easy to play without Nene. He’s a really physical, mean guy. If he’s rolling, nobody can really stop him. Somebody got to step up now, seriously,” Gortat said. “It’s definitely not good news for us. At the end of day, we’ve got to continue to play.”

Without much size, the Wizards played to their strength on the perimeter and connected on 10 of 16 shots beyond the three-point line. Trevor Ariza scored 22 points and made all five of his three-point attempts, including a step-back shot from long distance that bounced high off the rim and dropped in the fourth quarter.